Could we BE any more excited? Everything you need to know about the Friends reunion

The one where they all got back together  here's what we know so far about the return of our favourite Central Perk patrons

Lisa Kudrow, Matthew Perry, Jennifer Aniston, David Schwimmer, Courteney Cox, and Matt LeBlanc in Friends. Picture: Warner Brothers Television/Fotos International/Courtesy of Getty Images

What is it and who is taking part?

The Friends reunion special has been filmed and stars the sitcom's original six actors will be sharing a screen once more. Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, and David Schwimmer will reunite at Stage 24, the original Friends soundstage at the Warner Bros Studio along with the show's co-creators David Crane and Marta Kauffman.

Are they filming a scripted episode?

No, it is not a new episode of the beloved sitcom. You won't be catching up with Ross, Rachel, Monica, Chandler, Joey and Phoebe. Instead, the actors behind the characters will be on screen as themselves. As HBO Max explained in a statement: "We want to make it very clear that this is not a new, original episode of the series. The cast will be appearing as themselves, not as their beloved characters."

What is happening instead?

We'll be hearing from the reunited original cast, who will revisit the set, share some surprises, and reveal behind-the-scenes footage from the filming of the show. “Nothing is scripted and we are not in character,” Schwimmer told The Graham Norton Show. “We are all ourselves, although there is one section of it that I don’t want to give away, but we all read something.”

Surprises? Anything juicy?

Oh yes. it has been reported that one of those surprises is that Aniston told the cast she is adopting a baby from a Mexican orphanage. You can read more about that here.

Wasn't the reunion supposed to be filmed last year?

The cast of Friends.

Yes, but the pandemic pushed it to 2021. However, Aniston said the delay was an opportunity to make the reunion even more special: "This has also given us more time to make it even more exciting and more fun than it would have been. So I choose to see it as the glass is half-full that it got postponed," she told Deadline.

How was it filmed? Will the stars be appearing separately or over Zoom?

The cast reunited in person, something WarnerMedia Entertainment chairman Bob Greenblatt was keen to see happen. "We do think there’s a value to having a big, raucous live audience to experience these six great friends coming back together,” he told Variety. "We didn’t want to just suddenly do it on a web call with, you know, six squares and people shooting from their kitchens and bedrooms."

According to TMZ, a live audience participated in the reunion but they were "mostly union extras, Covid screened and hired for the gig".

How much will they be paid for the episode?

Famously, the six actors were making $1m (€830k) per episode by the time the series ended in 2004. For the reunion, they'll be pocketing an impressive fee. Sources told The Hollywood Reporter that the stars will be paid between $2.5m (€2m) and $3m (€2.5m) each for the one-off special. 

Where can I watch the reunion?

We don't know yet. It will air on HBO Max in the US on a date that has yet to be confirmed. While an Irish broadcast has not been announced, other HBO titles like Game of Thrones have premiered on Sky.